


magic's in the make up

by berried



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Lowercase, M/M, lev watches too many doramas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 09:28:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12318279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/berried/pseuds/berried
Summary: "your boyfriend is the devil!" inuoka called out this time, and it caused everyone to pause for a minute as they all took in what he had said.right.kuroo was now lev's boyfriend, to everyone else at least.–– or the one where kuroo and lev pretend to date in order to make kenma and yaku jealous.





	magic's in the make up

"let's go out."  this, this was not what kuroo was expecting when lev pulled him out of class to talk to him. in fact, of all of the things that kuroo was expecting him to talk about, this wasn't anywhere on the list.

"what? aren't you interested in yaku??" everyone knew this about lev––well everyone but yaku himself. they had expected that lev was going to confess to yaku, surprise him, and everything was going to fall in place. at least that's how they were going to see it.

"i am! but i was watching this drama with my mother, she uses them to help her practice her japanese, you know? anyway, i was watching this drama and these two people they started fake dating in order to get the attention of the people that they both liked!" lev was talking at a mile a minute as he explained his idea to kuroo.

"so i figured, that if you and i fake dated, we could make yaku-san and kenma-san jealous and then they'll realize that they like us as much as we like them!" when he finished, lev was throwing his hands up in the air in excitement, as if the plan was full proof.

"wait! what the hell what makes you think i like kenma?" the idea didn't sound that bad, at least like something fun for them to do for a bit, because he loved getting under yaku's skin like that.

but he _did not_ like kenma like that.

"everyone knows! except for kenma-san, but that's the––" lev paused, trying to find the right word he wanted to say, "––brilliance of this plan! he and yaku-san will realize. it will be perfect." he was nodding his head in agreement with himself, and kuroo could see what yaku meant when he always called lev a giant dog.

"i don't like kenma. but i'll help you make yakkun jealous. how does that sound?" kuroo had that smile on his face––the smile that he used when he was planning on doing something in a game or anything similar. lev, should have been worried but instead he was just nodding his head more and more.

"yes! okay, so today after practice, we can go on our date. please make sure that you mention it to yaku-san, so that he can get the idea!" lev didn't bother waiting for kuroo's response before he darted off down the hall, tall legs carrying him back to his classroom. kuroo stood there processing what had just happened.

he had agreed to go on a date with lev. a fake date, but a date nonetheless. and they were going to be fake boyfriends until yaku (and kenma??) woke up and realized what they were missing out. this allegedly worked in the drama that lev and his mother watched together. scratching the back of his head, he headed back to his classroom, hoping that neither nobuyuki nor yaku had eaten the rest of his food.

"what did lev want?" yaku seemed far too interested in the fact that lev came to talk to kuroo than him––something that almost never happened.

"why? jealous he didn't come talk to you?" kuroo smirked as he picked at what nobuyuki had left of his own lunch. the vice-captain let him as yaku began to stutter, his face slightly flushed and anger bubbling with kuroo's comment.

"no! it's nothing like that? why would i be jealous of what he talked to you about? or if he called you out of the room? it just wouldn't make much sense for him to call out for you about volleyball stuff when he can talk to me about it, since i'm his teacher and i spend the most time with him." yaku was rambling, and kuroo was absolutely enjoying it.

yaku was absolutely in love with the first year, even if he didn't act like it and didn't want to admit it for whatever reason. kuroo was sure it had something to do with him graduating at the end of the year and being a responsible senpai, and oh yeah he totally didn't like him.

allegedly.

"it was a confession." kuroo said it so simply, trying his hardest to keep his face from forming into that usual smirk of his, because he was certain that if he let it cross his face, yaku wouldn't believe him.

a silence fell over the three third years as nobuyuki and yaku processed what he said, and kuroo watched as the two processed it.

"he confessed to you?!" yaku suddenly slammed his hands down on the desk, his eyes wide as he spoke in disbelief.

"yeah, he told me he liked me. so we're going on a date after practice today." kuroo acted like nothing had happened and he could see yaku freaking out––internally, like he could see the inside of his soul.

"that's good, you know? lev would be someone good to date." nobuyuki gave yaku a knowing look––as if saying 'if you're not going to date him, anyone else can' and yaku found himself swallowing.

and so yaku silenced himself and nobuyuki straightened up in his chair.

"i should get back to my classroom, i'll see you guys at practice." putting his stuff together, nobuyuki stood and left the classroom, making sure to give yaku one more knowing look––as if to say don't kill kuroo as soon as he left.

the two waved off their friend before sitting in silence, kuroo was sure that yaku was trying to work out the entire thing in his head, because if yaku was this quiet, that meant that he was thinking _hard_.

"do you like him back?" yaku finally spoke, his voice calm and even. it surprised kuroo because he expected yaku to be all anger and fury over this new development. the question also caught him off guard, because _well_ he didn't like lev like that. he was a cool underclassman, and a good team mate, but romantically? there was no way in hell that he liked him like that.

"mmm. i think i can learn to like him." kuroo watched yaku for his reaction, but the smaller male only relaxed his shoulders at kuroo's comment.

this wasn't exactly how kuroo expected him to react.

* * *

 

"i heard lev confessed to you." word travelled fast amongst the nekoma volleyball team, and kuroo tried to work out who told who so that kenma had managed to hear about it before kuroo could actually tell him.

lev probably told all of the first years as soon as he saw them––they were the little gossips of the team, and probably told each other everything––and then teshiro probably told kenma as soon as he heard in order to confirm it with the older setter.

or maybe yaku was the first person to tell kenma, and things had gone the way of lev's fantasies and the two shared their woes together, realizing their absolute love for the team's two middle blockers and were upset that they now didn't have the chance to confess to them.

except for the glaring fact that kenma wasn't in love with kuroo.

( and despite lev's insistence, kuroo was not in love with kenma. )

"yeah. i would confess to me too, if i were an underclassman." kuroo couldn't help but let the smug look cross his face, as if he had _expected_ lev to confess to him or something.

( even though lev didn't _actually_ confess. and this was all some somewhat elaborate plan. )

there was no response from kenma, and kuroo figured that he had already lost interest in the entire 'lev-kuroo dating' thing. and kuroo didn't exactly blame him. though, he wasn't entirely sure why it bugged him so much that kenma had no reaction to it.

whatever though. they had practice to get to.

like always, kenma and kuroo were the first ones there and done dressing out, and they had moved to setting up some of their equipment, but opted to leave the rest to the first years like always. inuoka, yuuki, and teshiro would always do it, lev would always be late and never do it. and so it went as normal, until he first years turned up.

that was when things turned into some weird bizaroo nekoma volleyball practice.

"why don't we finish up, _you_ and kenma-senpai can go start your laps or something." kuroo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the first year talking to him. was fucking yuuki of all people giving him attitude?

he was going to brush it off, and do exactly that––and then remind the underclassmen that he was captain––until teshiro grabbed kenma by the wrist an shook his head.

"i would like to have kenma-senpai show me some sets until practice starts." and with that the first year dragged kenma away from him to have him show him sets.

okay, no. nope. not in kuroo's team would first years disrespect him like that. so instead of running his laps like he was told––again, by fucking _yuuki_ ––he waited until they were done setting up the net and wheeling out the ball bin.

"you know what my favorite animal is?" kuroo spoke up when they were finished, and he could see the look of fear in the three freshmen's eyes.

"you guys can run horses until the rest of the team, all of them, show up for practice. how does that sound?" it obviously didn't sound good, but kuroo watched as the three first years trotted over to the base line of the gym, snorting a bit as yuuki––really, what has gotten itno this kid today––shoved inuoka and mumbled something about this being his idea.

"and don't run into the net either!" he called out his warning, though, he knew that since lev wasn't here there was no real point in expecting anyone to actually run into the net.

as the members of the volleyball team trickled in to the gym, they all watched in amusement as the three first years ran as much as they could. lev, of course was late, and they had to keep running––making sure to turn back and touch the baseline like always––until the tallest member of the team showed up. when he did, kuroo couldn't help but feel a bit bad as yuuki collapsed in his spot right there on the court, trying to catch his breath.

( kuroo needed to have a talk with him and yaku. the kid needed to increase his stamina and speed by a lot if he was going to be the main libero once yaku graduated. )

"ah ha! being late benefits me once again!" lev was far too excited about being late, because it meant he didn't have to run horses for once in his life––though he completely glanced over the fact that he was probably going to have to play cards or something as a punishment for being late anyway.

at his comment, lev was met with a barrage of yelling.

"why are you late?! you're supposed to be one of the first ones here!" old habits die hard as taketora spouted off.

"did you have to stay behind to talk to a teacher _again_?! i told you last night to go home and do your homework!" there was yaku––and kuroo threw a glance at the other male, just how much did he talk to lev ouside of practice.

( "he's an idiot and got a seven on our last math test!" teshiro supplied, betraying his fellow first year, from his position on the sidelines. )

"your boyfriend is the devil!" inuoka called out this time, and it caused everyone to pause for a minute as they all took in what he had said.

right.

kuroo was now lev's boyfriend, to everyone else at least. to him and lev it was just a con.

nonetheless though, it caught kuroo off guard and he found himself actually looking to nobuyuki to calm the first years––and yaku––down. nobuyuki was going to step up and accept the responsibility that kuroo had suddenly pushed off on him––and the knowing look was returned that kuroo now owed him one––when lev decided to speak instead.

and suddenly, kuroo felt the same pain that yaku always felt with lev and understood him.

"yes! all of those things are true, but it's okay because i'm here now!" he shouted out and kuroo could only feel regret seeping through his body.

( later on, he would actually wonder if this was the first time that he ever actually felt _regret_ , and then even later, he would learn that regret is a feeling he only associates with one haiba lev. )

as chaos descended upon the volleyball court for a second time––again thanks to one haiba lev––kuroo looked to kenma, partially for his help and to gauge how the other was handling the entire thing, and much to his surprise, kenma was looking back at him.

when their eyes met, kenma immediately looked away

"are we going to practice? because if we aren't, i'm going to go home and level up my characters." kenma's words seemed to remind kuroo that he was the captain, and in charge in this situation.

( and somehow get under his skin once again. he wasn't _actually_ expecting kenma to act a certain way? this was par the course for him. )

"alright! fun's over. i want lev and teshiro practicing receives and sets, let you guys get used to working with teshiro––" this had been the instruction nekomata had given kuroo, he inuoka and lev to build the same trust that they had in kenma with teshiro, since it wouldn't be long before they were solely depending on him to set for them.

"yuuki and yakkun, i want you two to work on stamina training exercises today." yuuki could only whine from his spot on the floor and kuroo couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the boy, but it was absolutely necessary for him to focus on stamina building exercises for now.

"the rest of us, let's get our daily laps in." he could hear taketora groan and make some complaint about lev getting to practice his spikes––lev cheerfully responded because he was to be the ace soon––and blocked it out. a good run would help him clear his head of whatever it was that was bothering him so much.

as they began their usual laps, kuroo allowed himself to focus on that, letting his mind clear itself of whatever the distraction issue he was having with kenma. it was just getting right under his skin that the younger male didn't seem to care at all that he was going to be dating lev from now on. weren't friends usually concerned or happy or something when their friends said that they were dating?

so why the hell did kenma not care at all?

brushing the thoughts off kuroo found himself picking up the pace a bit and running ahead of the other four. running like this was helping clear his head, but he could hear taketora asking––a bit too loudly like always––what was wrong with him. nobuyuki told him it wasn't important and like always, kenma and fukunaga were quiet, letting the silence overcome them and taketora complain about how he wanted to be back in the gym with the others, because at least they talked to him.

when they returned to the gym, practice continued as normal, with receive–set–spike practice for all of them, kenma and teshiro were to swap after each member made it through the line, so that they could both get setting practice. everything was normal, well, as normal as it could be.

until lev went up to spike and kenma and him were suddenly out of sync. the toss was too low and lev missed it.

"it's just a fluke, just a fluke!" lev called out, resuming he position in the front of the line and going through the motions again.

receive –– lev doesn't do a bad job, he manages to get it to kenma and ykau comments that he's gotten better.

set –– there's no problem here, like always.

spike –– and it was too high this time, lev's finger tips barely brushing the ball.

"lev!" yaku shouted at him, and everyone on the team could feel his anger radiating. all of the practice that they had put in over the summer was suddenly gone down the drain, because kenma and lev weren't syncing up.

"back of the line, lev." kuroo brushed it off, because they could only expect something like this from lev. he was already planning on having the two work together, to get them back in their groove that they had developed. he turned his attention to kenma and the ball though, and had gone through the same process that he had always gone through since middle school.

except, for the first time since he had started playing with kenma, the ball was missed.

kenma set it too high.

there was a silence falling over the gym as the ball hit the ground. everyone looked, unsure of what exactly to say or do but stand there. kuroo was the first to react, clearing his throat loudly and trying to brush off what just happened as if it didn't actually happen.

"oi oi, kenma, get your head in the game. did you stay up all night playing video games?" he tried his best to make light of the situation, because he knew that it was useless to actually get on kenma's case about this, because it would be counte-productive to do so. he would have to talk to him when it was just the two of them, maybe tell him to lay off the video games or something.

the situation seems just a bit awkward for everyone and kuroo isn't exactly sure what to do, for once in his life.

"we can end here today you guys. you're all more than welcome to do individual practice, but just close up after, seems like everyone's a bit tired." he was able to justify it all, but really he just wanted to get a chance to talk to kenma one on one and see what's going on with him.

when he emerged from the locker room, he was confronted by yaku, the other male's arms crossed over his chest.

"you need to think about how your actions affect other people." he uncrossed his arms to jab kuroo in the chest, his face wrinkled in upset.

"what are you going on about?" kuroo was annoyed, because now along with whatever was going on with kenma, he had yaku coming and yelling at him over it––despite kuroo's plans to try to fix it.

"you need to understand that who you're dating doesn't just affect you. you're on a team, with other people." he jabbed kuroo on the chest once more before turning off to head back to the gym, he and lev still had their own individual practice.

turning his head, kuroo noticed kenma at his side, and was slightly surprised as to when he showed up and how much of that he heard but didn't question it, because he knew that kenma wouldn't answer.

"come on, let's go home." he mumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets as he began walking, kenma behind him.

the two walked in silence, like always, kuroo occasionally telling him about things that had happened during the day or whatever scheme bokuto was currently up to––this weekend he had decided to be romantic and fill akaashi's room with roses because it was _romantic_ , akaashi unfortunately, did not agree––just something to fll the silence.

"oh, let's go to that café that has the parfaits." kuroo didn't bother waiting for kenma's answer as he answer as he headed to the café, kenma made the motion to follow him, but shook his head instead.

"i'm not going today." and with that, kenma walked off on his own, heading to the train station and leaving kuroo behind.

kuroo blinked just a bit before turning on his heels and heading to follow behind kenma.

since when was he following kenma and not the other way around.

* * *

 

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:30pm):** OI OI. R U REALLY DATING LEV?

kuroo looked at his phone, surprised at the line message that he received from bokuto, for two reasons. one, because he thought bokuto had lost his phone privileges after his rose stunt, and two how did bokuto find out about this before kuroo actually told him?

 **black cat (9:32pm):** WHEN DID YOU GET UR PHONE BACK????

 **black cat (9:33pm):** & yea, i guess?

 **black cat (9:33pm):** its complicated

yeah. that was the best way to explain this fake dating thing, 'complicated'.

**THE BIGGEST OWL (9:33pm):** WOW

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:33pm):** what about ken-chan???

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:33pm):** AND YAKKUN?????

of course bokuto ignored his question about the phone, because according to bokuto that wasn't as important as the entire dating thing.

and there was someone mentioning kenma's response to this entire thing _again_. what the heck?

did kenma actually like him?

 **black cat (9:35pm)** : lev said it was me the entire time

 **black cat (9:35pm)** : not yakkun

he paused, momentarily unsure of if he wanted to send the next message.

 **black cat (9:37pm)** : what about kenma?

 **black cat (9:37pm)** : hes my friend

and he wanted to ask if bokuto thought that kenma liked him too. he even typed it out.

but he didn't send it.

instead he let bokuto blow up their group chat.

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:39PM):** OI OI OI TSUKKI TSUKKI TSUKKI

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:39PM):** COME TO TOKYO AND BRING YOUR LIL CUTIE

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:40PM):** AND WE CAN GO ON A GROUP DATE

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:40PM):** U AND CUTIE. ME AND AKAASHI. KUROO AND LEV

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:41PM):** IT WOULD BE SO MUCH FUN

_(9:41PM)  tsukishima. has left the group_

**THE BIGGEST OWL (9:42PM):** TSUKKI.

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:42PM):** DON'T GO

* * *

 

"so, what exactly is it that you like about yaku anyway?" with them "dating", kuroo found himself spending a lot of time with lev, which was unusual to him in the first place but he was slowly getting used to the boy's weird habits and actions. it was like dealing with a lankier bokuto who was worse at volleyball.

"what do i like?! what do i not like about yaku-san, he's amazing in everyway." kuroo gave him a pointed look as he waited for lev to explain, he didn't exactly put yaku into the 'amazing at everything' category.

"i mean." lev paused, trying to gather the words as to what he thought about yaku and why he liked him, which was something that he had never really thought about or considered before.

"with yaku-san, you can tell that he cares and puts his heart into everything that he does. and he doesn't give up either!" lev added the last part as if it were a second thought. "even though i'm bad at volleyball and complain a lot about it and make it hard for him to do things after school because of our special practice, he never stops it or abandons it."

it was how sincere lev spoke of yaku that actually made kuroo smile just a bit. it was always a nice thing to see and hear when lev spoke about stuff so enthusiastically.

"plus! plus, yaku-san is very good looking, almost you know…" he trailed off, to try and find the right words to say, "sexy even, you know?"

nope. kuroo did not know and he did not want to know about lev's sexual fantasies involving yaku, so he quickly held a hand up in his face stopping him from going on. and thankfully, lev did.

"then why not confess to him directly?" in kuroo's mind, that was the most simplistic thing to do, though he was having fun seeing yaku get upset every time he and lev did anything together.

"i have! but yaku-san kicked me and told me that i didn't know what i was talking about! and then he got all huffy and stormed off." he sounded confused about the entire ordeal, because by lev's logic––which was pretty awful by most of everyone's understanding––yaku should have accepted the confession and then the two were supposed to have gone out right then and there.

"i told him everyday! i even kissed him once––" kuroo would've paid money to see yaku's reaction to being kissed. "––but he just got upset about it and then i dunno, i saw the drama and so i got the idea!"

so, that's how it worked in lev's mind. kuroo was kind of jealous about the boy's thought process, but said nothing about it.

"since i told you, tell me! tell me, what do you like about kenma-san!" lev suddenly leaned over the table, nearly knocking over the glass of water that he had given kuroo. thankfully he didn't though, otherwise he would have ruined kuroo's somewhat decent chemistry notes.

"i don't like kenma." kuroo had been adamant about this and he had no idea as to why lev was constantly trying to convince him that he liked kenma.

"if you don't like him why are you always with him?" lev qas quick to question it, ready to burst kuroo's bubble.

"because kenma would forget to eat and breathe if i wasn't around him." kuroo said calmly as he tried to turn his attention to the notes in front of him.

"so you care about him." lev spoke as if he had opened a present on christmas day.

"of course. and i care about bokuto, and nobuyuki, and yakkun––" lev was suddenly imitating him and shving his hand in his face to cut kuroo off.

"you do! but how many of them do you wait for each morning? and after practice? and you always help kenma-san with his stretches." lev was suddenly listing off all of the things he had seen the two of them do together, as if they were evidence for some type of romantic affection.

"we live near each other. if i could walk with nobuyuki or bokuto, i would. and i help kenma because he won't do his stretches right if no one helps him." the counter came quickly, as if kuroo had it planned out.

"but you don't let anyone else help him! when anyone else tries you get all pouty and upset."

"i do not!" kuroo was quick to object, reaching for lev to try and hit him, the younger dodged the smack, something that he never did  with yaku.

okay, maybe he did get a little annoyed whenever yamamoto or fukunaga or teshiro stretched with kenma, but that didn't mean that he liked him. it was just something that he always helped kenma with.

"and and! you always share you practice snacks with him. no one else." lev spoke as if he had a bad memory with asking kuroo for some of his snacks during practice––and he probably did.

"again, because he won't eat anything." kuroo brought back up his first point.

"but you even share your water with him. for an indirect kiss, right?"

okay. not everyone was as crafty as lev ad trying to sneak in kisses––direct or indirect––with the person they liked.

didn't like.

because kuroo didn't like kenma.

"i already said this. it's because he would forget about it if i didn't." kuroo had never even considered an indirect kiss.

lev seemed to be fighting a lsing battle, and the younger of the pair esigned, turning his attention to his notes. it seemed suspicious for lev to give up on something, because if there was one thing that he never did––it was give up. kuroo eyed him for a minute, waiting for him to say something, anything.

"what if i told you that hinata confessed to kenma-san?" lev didn't look up from his notes, trying his hardest not to conceal his smile as he looked down.

the words took a moment for kuroo to process as he looked at him. hinata confessed to kenma? when? why didn't kenma tell him? and who did hinata even think he was to confess to kenma? and what the hell did kenma say in response? and why didn't kenma consider his own feeli––

oh fuck.

kuroo liked kenma.

"oh fuck." he voiced his words openly this time, and lev threw his hands up in the air at kuroo's realization.

"see! now we're brothers in the conquest for love!" he reached for his hands to hold on to them, cheering them on. "now you understand! we're helping each other."

yeah. they were helping each other. because kuroo fucking liked kenma.

great.

* * *

 

normally, when kuroo liked someone, he tried to do his best to impress them and get them to be the one to confess to him. but this was kenma, kenma wouldn't confess to him in a million years.

and there was the entire 'dating lev', thing that kuroo had going on right now, but that was irrelevant, because fuck it he liked kenma and that was a more pressing matter right now. except, how in the hell was kuroo supposed to carry on now?

"what?" kenma looked up from his game as he sat in the café with kuroo, kuroo's notes spread out along the table. kenma's were there's too, but it was very obvious that he had focused more on the game he was playing than studying.

"what?" kuroo repeated, staring at kenma, trying his hardest to try and figure out what he was going to do about this entire liking kenma situation.

"you're staring at me." kenma spoke, pointing out something kuroo hadn't even noticed––which as hard because kenma wasn't exactly the most observant person around.

shit. had he been staring at kenma? oh fuck.

"nothing! just thinking and you were in my line of sight." smooth. real fucking smooth. smoothest person around.

kenma only gave a hum in response before turning his attention back to the video game, not bothering to question it anymore.

( he definitely knew it was a lie, but he didn't care that much. )

with his attention back on the game, kuroo tried to turn his attention back to the notes in front of him, trying to focus on the math situation at hand rather than his hot burning fiery love for kenma, as lev called it.

how the hell did you handle having a crush on your best friend? no, kuroo was past the point of a crush. it was full on like.

maybe even love.

heaving a sigh––he didn't catch kenma glancing up at him––he fished his phone out of his pocket and sent a message before laying his phone down on the table.

"oh oh oh! look who it is!" never had kuroo been so happy to hear bokuto's voice. he turned his head and attached as bokuto nearly knocked down the waitress to join him and kenma, akaashi following behind and apologizing to the waitress along the way.

except his happiness didn't last long when he remembered the message he had sent and swallowed deeply.

oh god he hoped bokuto didn't open his big ass mouth. for once in his life.

"what are you two doing here?" bokuto didn't bother waiting for an invitation as he slid into the chair next to kuroo, akaashi mumbling a small apology before sitting next to kenma.

"we're just studying––or well, i'm studying and kenma is trying to level up." kuroo laughed a bit because even if he was going to blow his cover, at least bokuto served as a distraction to the math nightmare in his notebooks.

"me and akaashi are on a date! i remember you said you liked this café because it was really good so i thought me and akaashi would come here! what do you recommend." bokuto took no time in flagging down the waitress and getting the menu from her so that he could look at the menu and began ordering things for him––akaashi also got something, picked out by bokuto, of course.

the two of them let bokuto fill in the silence as he rambled on about volleyball, and volleyball, and then more volleyball. he and bokuto seemed to be enjoying the conversation, akaashi seemed preoccupied with a book on his phone, and kenma playing with his phone.

this was perfect.

if this was what it would be like for him and kenma to date, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

 

it wasn't until he had made it home that he had even remembered the message he sent to the group chat between him, bokuto and tsukishima.

 **black cat (1:02pm):** how do you confess to your best friend?

bokuto and tsukishima had been in a similar situation he was in. hopelessly in love (as lev had put it) with their best friend. he had been thankful that bokuto had seemed to ignore the message from him when they ran in to each other earlier.

 **tsukishima (9:10pm):** he confessed first.

kuroo hadn't expected that at all. considering that tsukishima used the distance between them to his advantage and did his best to not talk about his relationship with yamaguchi––no matter how much he and bokuto prodded him about it.

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:11PM):** WO WOWOWWW

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:11PM):** IS THAT TSUKKI TALKIN BOUT LIL CUTIE

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:12PM):** CUTIEGUCHI

 **THE BIGGEST OWL (9:12PM):** YAMACUTIE

_(9:13PM) tsukishima has left this chat._

well fuck.

was kuroo supposed to wait for kenma to confess to him?

was lev right, once more?

god help him if he was.

* * *

 

"aren't you dating kuroo? go bug him." the sound of yaku's irritated voice was a signal that kuroo wasn't supposed to be there, and he was going to turn around––let yaku and lev do their usual tango in this hallway and find some other way to get to where he needed to go.

"but i don't want to bug kuroo, i want to bug yaku-san." despite what he had told himself, to leave the two alone, kuroo stayed where he was to listen to them. maybe he would figure out why lev liked yaku so much.

because, don't get him wrong, yaku was the best bro he could have.

but terrible as a love interest.

"––stop it." kuroo tuned back in to the conversation, listening closely.

"i'm not going to stop it. because i like yaku-san." there was some silence, followed by an exasperated sigh.

"you shouldn't like me, you know? you're dating kuroo. and even then, you should be dating someone your age." yaku was scolding him over this.

right, lev had mentioned how that he had confessed to yaku before.

"but i like yaku-san." peaking around the corner a bit, kuroo saw lev pull him close to him, his arms wrapped around his waist.

"lev, stop it." yaku seemed frustrated, his forehead wrinkled just a bit as he attempted to push him away.

"i'm not gonna stop it. not until you love me too, yaku-san." and then kuroo saw something that definitely wasn't for his eyes. lev was kissing yaku, and for a minute, it almost looked like yaku was enjoying it.

"see! you like me too." lev was leaning over him, and kuroo half expected him to agree with him, instead yaku slapped him, his face flushed before storming off.

kuroo definitely wasn't supposed to have seen this, but now he had and what was he supposed to do? heaving a sigh he advanced around the corner and joined lev, the tall underclassman still standing there.

"hey there buddy." kuroo slapped a hand on his shoulder, attempting to comfort him, somewhat unsure of what to do because he had spent most of his life comforting kenma, which didn't need words or much else.

not someone like lev who needed attention and affection and love.

"oh! kuroo-senpai. i didn't see you there." the way lev spoke, his voice was shaking, and kuroo was sure that he was going to cry.

he did not know how to deal with crying people.

"let's break up. and i'm not going to be at practice today! okay, bye." it was over before it happened. lev was off, no doubt heading to his classroom and not giving kuroo a chance to respond.

well, since he wasn't dating he suppose now he could confess to kenma, right?

* * *

 

"yakkun, we need to talk." kuroo cornered the other after class. almost everyone was gone––the two stuck around because they had been assigned cleaning for the day, so they were just putting on the finishing touches.

"what?" yaku didn't bother looking at kuroo as he made sure to collect any final papers that their classmates may have left behind. he just wanted to get through this and then get to volleyball practice.

"lev and i broke up." kuroo figured that was the best thing to dive in to first, because what else where they going to say?

there was no chance that the two of them to talk unless they got around this obstacle. it also wouldn't be a lie to say that their relationship had suffered since kuroo and lev had been "dating", which did suck considering how the two had worked kind of hard to build their friendship up to this point, and it had gone down the drain like that.

"sorry to hear that." he said, not bothering to look at kuroo as he spoke.

"so…since we're not dating anymore, you can date him now, you know." kuroo's words seemed to strike a nerve in yaku, because the smaller male turned to look at him, his brows furrowed in anger.

"oh thanks, i'm so glad i've got your permission to date him now, you know that's what i've been waiting for." there was a hint––okay more than a hint––of bitterness in his voice as he spoke to him.

"that's––that's not what i meant." oh great,t they were going to argue, which wasn't what kuroo wanted the two of them to do. in fact, that was the opposite of what he wanted. he wanted to tell him that it was okay for him to date lev, and that it was okay for him to go off to college next year and still like him.

and that it was okay for him to like kenma, and that he was going to confess to him soon.

"then what did you mean? stay out of it and mind your own business." yaku shoved the papers under his arm, prepared to head off to the teacher's room. kuroo's hand stopped him, jutting out to block his pathway.

"i don't get it! why are you treating him like this, if you like him so much you should date him." frustration rang through kuroo's voice as he moved to replace his hand with his body. maybe it was a dirty trick to try and intimidate yaku with his height but it was all he could think of doing.

and of course it didn't work, because instead of yaku crumbling down and admitting kuroo was right and then running off to confess his feelings to lev, he instead received a swift punch to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"maybe you should focus on your own love life instead of worrying about others." yaku didn't even bother to check if kuroo was okay as he dashed off to the teacher's office.

he wasn't at volleyball practice that evening.

* * *

 

"lev and i broke up." it was the first thing kuroo said when he and kenma were alone. maybe it wasn't the best way to jump in to the conversation but it was all that he could think of saying first.

"hmm." kenma didn't look up at him, or make much of a comment––but it was to be expected.

"yeah…" kuroo continued, shifting a bit as more people boarded their train. "we both decided we liked other people and were going to spend our time trying to work with them." that was possibly true, sure, and completely believable (given kuroo and lev's personalities).

there was again no reaction, which could mean something either good or bad.

"i'm going to confess to them." kenma actually glanced at him this time, and kuroo took that as his sign to go forward.

"i like you, kenma." he spoke, loud enough for them and maybe the few people surrounding them on their train to hear.

"okay." kenma didn't look up from his game this time, though kuroo could swear that his face was flushing just a bit.

"and so you're going to be my boyfriend." the flush was _definitely_ there, kuroo's mind wasn't making it up this time. kenma actually blushed.

"okay." kenma spoke once more, and kuroo had _never_ thought he would see something like this.

or feel his heart flutter when he looked at kenma, but here he was.

and he was okay with that.

* * *

 

"i'm jealous." kuroo was spending time with lev again––this time kenma was with them, though the third member of their little group was ocused on a handhold game.

"of what?" kuroo wasn't entirely sure if he was supposed to ask him a question like that, you never knew what to expect with someone like lev.

"you and kenma-san got together! it worked for you two, but for me and yaku-san…" lev trailed off with a sigh, pouting.

"what worked?" kenma raised an eyebrow, the pharsing lev chose made him curious.

"me and kuroo fake dating! it was supposed to make you and yaku-san jealous and then you guys would come running in to our arms and we'd all be happily ever after." kuroo had been trying to wave at lev, to signal him to stop talking but it didn't work and oh god now kenma knew it was all a ruse.

"that sounds about right." kenma didn't seme shocked or annoyed, and went back to his game and kuroo was thankful tha kenma was just so––kenma.

"are you going to give up on him?" kuroo asked, knowing very well that lev was never one to give up on anything.

"of course not! if anything i'm going to do it the best way i know how." the sparkle and shine in lev's eyes made kuroo just a bit afraid as to what that actually meant.

yaku had to be prepared.


End file.
